Maybe Jake was just playing hard to get. If that were the case, Claude might have let it slide.

However, Claude didn’t bother hiding his irritation as he spoke.
“Why not join the Fenris Mercenary Corps? We won’t interfere with your work, we’ll give you plenty of jobs, and the benefits are great. There’s nothing to lose. You should aim higher, play in bigger waters.”

Jake couldn’t deny that Claude was making valid points. He had even participated in a few Fenris projects before, where payments were always generous and punctual, better than anywhere else.

But there was a …